1. Field of the Invention
The general invention relates to spreaders, and more particularly to a bed mounted spreader having an improved auger design.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional related art spreader assemblies are generally not releasably mounted to a truck bed. These spreaders have augers or similar devices to convey a material out of the spreader. The materials tend to cavitate near the augers and the flow of material out of the spreader assembly is retarded or prevented. The spreaders are typically formed of heavy duty metals that are able to withstand corrosive environments that can be encountered when spreading certain materials, such as bulk salt. These spreader assemblies are generally integrally formed within the bed and have a conveyor belt extending the entire length of the bed to deliver material to a spinner. One related art spreader, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,617, has an integrally formed hopper in the bed with a conveyor belt system for delivering the material to the spinner. However, the '617 Patent utilizes a dumping mechanism to deliver the material to the conveyor belt. Another spreader, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,466, has sloping side walls and a flat bottom that delivers material to an auger which runs the length of the truck bed.
The related art spreaders are characterized by one or more inadequacies. Specifically, none of the related art spreaders provide for a spreader having a large capacity hopper and a frame releasably mounted in the bed of the truck. The frames are very heavy and cumbersome and require up to 5 hours to remove from the back of the vehicle. The spreaders are expensive to manufacture and difficult to maintain. It would be advantageous to provide a spreader that was removable from the truck bed and cost effective to manufacture and easily maintained.